Evidence map›Paper›PMID 30470223›Full record

ArticleBMC medical education2018

A mixed-methods exploration of cognitive dispositions to respond and clinical reasoning errors with multiple choice questions.

Luke T Surry, Dario Torre, Robert L Trowbridge, Steven J Durning

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Article in BMC medical education, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.

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7citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

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3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

7 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Luke T SurryDepartment of Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences - F. Hébert School of Medicine, Bethesda, MD, 20814, USA. luke.t.surry@gmail.com.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2497-581X
Dario TorreDepartment of Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences - F. Hébert School of Medicine, Bethesda, MD, 20814, USA.
Robert L TrowbridgeDepartment of Medicine, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA.
Steven J DurningDepartment of Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences - F. Hébert School of Medicine, Bethesda, MD, 20814, USA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundCognitive dispositions to respond (i.e., cognitive biases and heuristics) are well-established clinical reasoning phenomena. While thought by many to be error-prone, some scholars contest that these cognitive dispositions to respond are pragmatic solutions for reasoning through clinical complexity that are associated with errors largely due to hindsight bias and flawed experimental design. The purpose of this study was to prospectively identify cognitive dispositions to respond occurring during clinical reasoning to determine whether they are actually associated with increased odds of an incorrect answer (i.e., error).

methodsUsing the cognitive disposition to respond framework, this mixed-methods study applied a constant comparative qualitative thematic analysis to transcripts of think alouds performed during completion of clinical-vignette multiple-choice questions. The number and type of cognitive dispositions to respond associated with both correct and incorrect answers were identified. Participants included medical students, residents, and attending physicians recruited using maximum variation strategies. Data were analyzed using generalized estimating equations binary logistic model for repeated, within-subjects measures.

resultsAmong 14 participants, there were 3 cognitive disposition to respond categories - Cognitive Bias, Flaws in Conceptual Understanding, and Other Vulnerabilities - with 13 themes identified from the think aloud transcripts. The odds of error increased to a statistically significant degree with a greater per-item number of distinct Cognitive Bias themes (OR = 1.729, 95% CI [1.226, 2.437], p = 0.002) and Other Vulnerabilities themes (OR = 2.014, 95% CI [1.280, 2.941], p < 0.001), but not with Flaws in Conceptual Understanding themes (OR = 1.617, 95% CI [0.961, 2.720], p = 0.070).

conclusionThis study supports the theoretical understanding of cognitive dispositions to respond as phenomena associated with errors in a new prospective manner. With further research, these findings may inform teaching, learning, and assessment of clinical reasoning toward a reduction in patient harm due to clinical reasoning errors.

Indexed as

Educational MeasurementPhysiciansStudents, MedicalAdultAgedChoice BehaviorClinical CompetenceCognitionDiagnostic ErrorsEducation, MedicalFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedProblem SolvingProspective StudiesClinical reasoningCognitive disposition to respond (CDR)Medical decision makingMedical errorsReasoning errors

Identifiers

PMID30470223
PMCPMC6251119

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.